Goto Baits for Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing in Pennsylvania

Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing Baits for Pennsylvania Lakes and Rivers

Bass Fishing | Fishing Techniques | By Don Manning

​Waters are starting to warm up in the rivers and lakes across Pennsylvania. Besides thawing yourself out, bass are starting to feel the water warm and are beginning to prepare for spawning. Pre-spawn bass fishing success has a lot to do with being flexible and sticking it out cast after cast with lures you have confidence in. For instance, there are certain goto pre-spawn bass fishing lures that are a must this time of year.

Water temperature is the biggest factor during the pre-spawn. The best pre-spawn bass lures to throw mainly depends on the temperature of the water you are fishing. The colder the water, typically the slower your should be fishing. For instance, when pre-spawn smallmouth bass fishing, the water temperature dictates lure choice and the speed at which those lures are fished in order to catch smallies during the pre-spawn. Water temperature also matters in lakes. It will affect how active bass in Pennsylvania lakes are and where they are positioned in the lake. Those attributes most certainty impact which spring bass fishing lures you should decide to cast.

Top 3 Baits to Use for Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing in Pennsylvania Lakes

As the lakes begin to heat up during the spring, bass begin their cycle ultimately ending with the spawn. Again, water temperature plays a big role in what early spring bass fishing lures are going to work the best. 

• Lipless Crankbaits - Lipless crankbaits are a great early spring bass fishing lure when the water temperature is in the mid-50s. They allow you to cover a lot of water also. Fish them over newly grown grass on deeper flats as bass begin to move into spawning locations. They are a perfect representation to a injured or dying baitfish with their tight wobble. These baits can be fished slow or deep depending on the style and should be a goto option for all pre-spawn bass fishing anglers.
• Stick Worms – The stick worm is one of the simplest bass fishing lures yet one of the most effective during the pre-spawn. Fish these a variety of ways, including Texas rigged or on a drop shot rig. Both presentations work well as pre-spawn bass fishing lures to target deeper bass that have yet to make their move towards shallower spawning grounds in lakes.
• Beaver/Craws – The beaver style soft plastics and craws can be fished really slow by fishing them on a Texas rig. These bass fishing lures are perfect for dirty water, which is common in Pennsylvania lakes during the spring as lakes are recycling and have extra water inputs from snow melt and spring rains.

​Top 3 Baits to Use for Pre-Spawn Bass Fishing Rivers in Pennsylvania

Big rivers in Pennsylvania like the Susquehanna River have some amazing pre-spawn bass fishing opportunities. And contrary to popular belief, not all fishing has to be slow this time of the year. Here are the top spring bass fishing techniques to throw during the pre-spawn on rivers in Pennsylvania.

• Tubes – Tubes work all the way up through the spawn for catching bass. Many anglers use tubes during the spawn to sight fish over beds, but they are also effective when waters are cold and bass are just getting active. In rivers, they are a great compliment to what bass are feeding on, the crayfish. A simple tube jig head matched with black/blue or green pumpkin works well for pre-spawn bass.
• Hair Jigs – Hair jigs are one of the best lures to throw in the pre-spawn. Hair jigs for bass fishing perform well in clear water as water temperatures remain cold. Toss them behind islands and along shore as the pre-spawn activity starts to pick up. The further along in the pre-spawn you get, fish hair jigs faster and even add a trailer to hook up on bigger fish.
• Jerkbaits – Jerkbaits for pre-spawn bass are deadly! They can mimic dying baitfish that are impacted by the changing water temperatures and they can be fished a various ways. Suspending jerkbaits for pre-spawn bass are ideal because they will stay in the strike zone longer, can be jerked at different rates or simply reeled slowly over deeper ledges. Bass fishing with jerkbaits are one way to catch bass in the pre-spawn while still fishing fast and covering lots of water.

Color Choices for Pre-Spawn Baits

​Now that we have outlined the top bass fishing lures for fishing rivers and lakes in Pennsylvania during the pre-spawn, it makes sense to go over color options as well. Bass fishing lure color choice is important, but during the pre-spawn don't over complicate things. When fishing lures for pre-spawn bass fishing, stay with standard natural colors like shad and crayfish. Lipless crankbaits and jerkbaits in these colors produce well into the spawn. For soft plastics like tubes and finesse worms and hair jigs, the two colors you always need to have are black/blue and green pumpkin. Of course, these two colors are the most popular in every angler’s tackle box. And for good reason, these colors catch fish throughout the year. No reason to go extreme this time of year, stick to the basics colors when selecting baits to use for pre-spawn bass fishing.

Pre-spawn bass fishing excites everyone for two reasons. The first is that it marks the end of winter and second it starts the bass fishing season. These two reasons drive anglers to hit the rivers and lakes in Pennsylvania in search of both largemouths and smallmouth bass. Head to those waters with these top baits and you will catch more bass during the pre-spawn.